WASHINGTON - Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, was notified Wednesday that he has been granted a permanent security clearance to view top-secret material - an indication that he may no longer be under scrutiny by the special counsel, who had been investigating his foreign contacts and other activities.

Last month, Kushner sat for about six hours of questioning by Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team on a wide range of topics, including his meetings with foreign officials during Trump's transition and Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey, according to Abbe Lowell, Kushner's attorney.

The interview - his second session with the special counsel - came nearly a year after The Washington Post reported that investigators were examining contacts Kushner had with high-level Russians during the presidential transition.

Kushner's permanent clearance was granted by career White House and intelligence officials after the completion of his FBI background check, according to a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation. This person confirmed that Kushner was granted a top-secret clearance, a level he had previously held on an interim basis.